The feast day of St. Valentine is fast approaching! St. Valentine lived in the 3rd century A.D. and was executed for clandestinely marrying lovers contrary to Roman law – over the centuries he has become an international symbol of true love. So whether you’re looking to woo that special someone, or enchant the one you’re with, look no further than Primrose for that special Valentine’s Day gift.Water Features

At Primrose we have a wide selection of planters, great for sprucing up an indoor space with some greenery, or for your patio or garden, our planters are of the best quality. So if your partner is green thumbed, give the gift of a planter this Valentine’s. Choose from our great range of metal, wooden or fibreglass planters. We even have personalised planters – so you can personalise a gift to your loved one. Another great gift idea from us at Primrose is to invest in a Pond in a Pot, these innovative additions to your garden can be bought in complete packs with water flowers to help your love bloom all year round.

A stunning Pond in a Pot from Primrose. Order yours in time for Spring!

Perfect for getting your love life to the right temperature, Primrose’s range of chimeneas are great for warming toes and creating a perfect ambience for your garden or outdoor space. Choose from clay, cast iron or steel – not forgetting to properly cure your chimenea if it’s clay! Whichever material you opt for, you’re sure to set hearts racing with this quaint and exotic source of light and heat in your garden.

WeathervanesWhichever way the wind is blowing, your love is sure to weather any storm with our weathervanes. Choose from a variety of attractive figures to sit atop your home and let you and your neighbour know which way the wind is blowing.

Candles and LightingFinally, why not take a look at our selection of lighting to brighten up your love life. From solar border lights to our range of flameless candles you’re sure to find something to give your home or garden that special something.

We at Primrose wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day, and hope you find something from us to make it extra special.

Charlie works in the Primrose marketing team, mainly on online marketing.

When not writing for the Primrose Blog, Charlie likes nothing more than a good book and a cool cider.

It’s that time of year again for getting the decorations out of the loft and taking your home to tinsel town. But as any competitive neighbour will know, half the fun is in sprucing up the outside of your house with some festive glow. With our quick outdoor Christmas lighting tips, your house will soon be on the way to becoming the highlight of the street.

1. Use outdoor lights

Let’s get the basics out the way first. Always make sure the lights you use are meant for outside – sufficiently insulated and waterproof.

2. Illuminate the features

Throw some spotlights or trailing lights onto the centrepieces of your garden, like birdbaths and water fountains. It’ll add depth and texture to your display.

3. Use outdoor powerpoints

It’s always safer – and helps with home security – to power your lights from outdoor sockets rather than trailing plugs and cables from the house. Be sure that wires don’t become a trip hazard.

4. Light garden paths

Give your guests a special welcome over the Christmas period by bordering your pathways with lights. Your visitors will find it easier to walk at night and it creates a friendly atmosphere.

5. Fix with tape

When you’re installing your lighting, it’s much better to use electrical tape than anything like nails or staples. You don’t want any sparks flying on the big day!

6. Use light nets

Decorating trees and shrubbery can be tricky. A net strung with LED lights is a great, simple way to cover bushes with evenly-spaced spots.

7. Mind the neighbours

If you’re going all out with your festive display, be sure to warn or discuss with your neighbours first. You don’t want to make enemies this time of year! Remember to switch the lights off overnight too.

8. Light up other decorations

Bring a magical glow to existing garden decorations. Wind some mini string lights into a wreath or add spotlights to other festive ornaments on the doorstep for a magical display any time of day.

9. Use battery lights

It’s important not to overload the mains circuits with all your garden lighting. Use a mix of plugin and battery powered lights to spread the load. LED candles are very handy for placing spots of light wherever you like in the garden.

10. Hang decorative lights

Once you’ve wrapped your trees with string lights, hang a few lit baubles or stars for an extra dimension. This works particularly well on skeletal winter trees.

So there are our top 10 tips for garden lighting in the winter. Let us know your ideas and advice in the comments below.

George works in the Primrose marketing team. As a lover of all things filmic, he also gets involved with our TV ads and web videos.

George’s idea of the perfect time in the garden is a long afternoon sitting in the shade with a good book. A cool breeze, peace and quiet… But of course, he’s usually disturbed by his energetic wire fox terrier, Poppy!

He writes about his misadventures in repotting plants and new discoveries about cat repellers.

With Christmas looming around the corner, we take a look at some creative ways to spread the festive cheer. It’s easy to spruce up your home throughout December, but you can really go to town and entertain the neighbours with our DIY outdoor Christmas decorations, from drainpipe candy canes to snowball lanterns. These homemade decorations will be perfect for the kids and even the whole family, so get crafting ready for the special day.

Be sure to share your creations with us via our Facebook and Twitter as we would love to feature them in a future post!

Click the image below to view in full.

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Geoff works within the Primrose marketing team, primarily on anything related to graphics and design.

He loves to keep up with the latest in music, film and technology whilst also creating his own original art and his ideal afternoon would be lounging in a sunny garden surrounded by good food, drink and company provided there is a football nearby.

While not an expert, his previous job involved landscaping so he’s got some limited experience when gardening.

Film fans will have noticed that arguably the most prolific, admired secret agent Britain has ever known will descend back onto our screens today. That’s right, James Bond is back, or perhaps more importantly, Daniel Craig is back, in what is rumoured to be his last appearance!

The new film, Spectre, will see James Bond travel through Mexico City and Rome, and infiltrate the existence of the sinister organisation, incidentally named SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion in case you were wondering).

No doubt it will be one of the biggest films of the year, but James Bond will need some gadgetry to assist him. From the high spec Aston Martin DB series to the Quantum Earpiece, he has been gifted with some of the most inventive creations over his time, but I think he could use some extra help from Primrose.

James Bond has to venture through the cold environment of Austria, specifically Sölden, Obertilliach (a great location if Bond fancies his hand at skiing) and Lake Altaussee, where temperatures can easily drop below freezing. Thankfully, there is an ideal solution in the form of heated insoles.

Controlled through a smartphone app (which will be no issue for James Bond on his super high tech Sony Xperia), he can warm his toes up to 35-55°C, so he needn’t worry about a little frostbite when escaping from nasty villains. Available in four sizes, they will fit in any shoe, as they are easily adjustable to your shoe size. They are also waterproof, perfect for Bond.

James Bond has encountered numerous animals throughout his time, from sharks and snakes to elephants and komodo dragons; he has seen more animals than a visitor at London Zoo. Often used by villains, as a form of weaponry or tool in their attempt to override Bond, they are far from the cute, cuddly creatures we’d expect to see. Did anyone see how big the komodo dragons were in Skyfall?

Although Primrose can’t assist with repelling komodos (although that could be in the pipeline), there is a very handy gadget which will not only protect Bond from deadly moles, but can double up as a weapon against humans (and moles, acting as spies). Poison free, fast and effective, and double ended for maximum efficiency, this all-weather trap will bring pain and misery to any enemies that try to defeat Bond.

James Bond has had a hard day hasn’t he? Fighting off killer moles, trekking through sub-zero temperatures, you’d think he would like a nice quiet evening to himself. Wait, who am I kidding, Bond would not be by himself. He is the epitome of the word lothario, from Sylvia Trench in Dr No (the very first “bond girl”) to the seductive Severine (the only “Bond girl” who is a villain).

So to set up this romantic scene, yet avoid the risk of fire (because you never know when James Bond might come under attack or have to rush off), LED candles are a superb choice. Resembling a dancing candle flame, with a realistic wax drip effect, Bond’s next lady will never suspect a thing.

If you think you will be called up by MI6 for the next death-defying mission (and I do hear James Bond will need a new lead for the next film), remember Primrosehave plenty of ideas to name but a few, to help you along the way.

Amie is a marketing enthusiast, having worked at Primrose since graduating from Reading University in 2014.

She enjoys all things sport. A keen football fan, Amie follows Tottenham Hotspur FC, and regularly plays for her local 5 a side football team.